Art in Games makes a name for itself with the top-down shooter AirAttack HD. Plenty of games try hard to bring WWII-era air battles to consoles, but this one makes it pop on smartphones, which is no small feat.

The graphics were, in a word, excellent. The recreated terrain was almost good enough to distract from the opposing weaponry. I loved the bridges, exploding trains and even the impertinent flair of the upgraded flamethrower. It was a visual treat, with matching sounds that took me straight to the History Channel war specials.

As already noted, it put me in the thick of an air-centric mission. At the beginning, I got to pick one of three plane choices. Control-wise, the plane was at my fingertips… literally. I used my index finger to fly and maneuver around firing planes and artillery from the ground. My ever-shooting plane took care of the offense, as all I had to do was use the plane to direct my weapons, and tap or two on the right virtual icon dispensed special weapons like bombs or lightning. Instead of my finger, I could tilt or use a virtual joypad if I so chose. Prior to starting, I was notified of the mission goals, and at the end of each, I got my kill percentages and other mission-related stats

Gameplay consisted of destroying enemy planes and infrastructure and gathering the game cash and health packets left behind. There were two modes of play: Survival and Arcade (I had to unlock the former). The scenes were diverse; there was nighttime flying, daytime missions and one over water… I even found snow. There were “bosses” too, just when I thought I had finally figured a level out.

The accumulated cash allowed me to purchase upgrades at particular points during the action. The upgrades were varied… escorting wingmen, lightning, turrets, extra lives and other game staples.

This is one of the first games that I will whine about the lack of an online leaderboard, but a game of this caliber demands one for cross-platform bragging rights, so I am whining. Also, while the developer did well to make the game fairly exciting, there is the risk of monotony.

AirAttack works well on smartphones and tablets, and will draw you in.